Wandering through the streets of Habana Vieja (Old Havana) I spotted this man sitting on the second floor of this crumbling building. Though seriously run down and dilapidated, it still showed a kind of beauty in the decades of color and texture that had been worn into its walls
Wherever you turn in Havana these days, you can see rolling relics of days gone by. Cubans don't necessarily love classic cars, they simply haven't been able to get anything else for five decades. Thousands of old American cars from the 40's and 50's make up a significant form of transportation on the island. All of this stems from the imposition of the US embargo in 1962, during which American companies were no longer permitted to do any business in Cuba. Once in place, it wasn't possible to get new cars or parts from the US. Today, it's estimated that of the 173,000 cars operating in Cuba, roughly 60,000 of them are vintage American vehicles....many of which are being held together with a shoestring
One doesn't have to look too far in Old Havana to see the deplorable condition of the once beautiful colonial-era architecture. Though some restoration is underway, particularly in sections most-frequented by tourists, many of the old buildings look perilous. This building has gaping holes where chunks of brick and plaster have fallen away.
A woman sweeps the rainwater out of her home in Habana Vieja (Old Havana) after a heavy downpour
Trinidad, Cuba is one of the oldest European-founded settlements in the Americas. It's a place where not much has been altered for 150 years. Though slowly beginning to come into the 21st century, it is a town that carefully keeps its historical integrity intact. This man, carrying a suitcase, walks alone down the side of a cobbled street aside a colorful, though crumbling, wall that could only have been created by the passage of time.
Colorfully dressed musicians and dancers perform the Afro-Cuban folkloric music of Santeria (also known as Lucumi or la Regla de Ocha), Cuba's most dynamic African spiritual tradition. The performance is at a location known as "Hamel's Alley" in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood of Havana. An important socio-cultural project aimed at divulging Afro-Cuban culture through music and other arts is based here. This is the real Havana that has been untouched. It's the most densely populated part of town and unlike other parts of Habana Vieja (Old Havana), nothing has been restored
A Cuban woman wearing an extravagantly colorful dress on the street in Habana Vieja (Old Havana). The style is influenced by several countries, mostly of Spanish and African origin. The dress is animated with multicolored frills and ruffles, along with the "gele", a head wrap worn to enhance beauty. With the rise in foreign tourism, visitors to Cuba will find women working for tips in the old town making their living dressed up as traditionally-clad, cigar and all
